Return to the Nightmare
by Kukuracha Jack
Summary: Five hundred years ago, Konoha fell to Orochimaru. Now, the few survivors are ready to take him down for good. Post all, NO OC'S read to find out how!


**Waitaminit**

Sensei was in the middle of explaining the dynamics of the jump-spinning reverse-kick when the stranger walked in. The man had pale skin, almost translucent as an albino's, but his hair was as red as dried blood. His pale green eyes were ringed, like he didn't sleep much, making him look like a panda, or a raccoon. Above his left eye was a blood-red kanji symbol.

When sensei looked up at the stranger, he froze.

Now, sensei was normally an over-exuberant man, who laughed even when he lost a fight (which only happened twice, at the tournaments), and who considered a setback a measuring stick of what to improve on. Above all, he always smiled, even when fighting.

The expression on his face was one of extreme loathing.

The stranger smoothly vaulted the low wall separating the spectator's seats from the dojo proper, his tan trench coat billowing behind him, and strode smoothly towards sensei, who began to shoo us out of the way.

"Lee."

"Gaara."

"I…We've…been looking for you."

"You weren't supposed to know I was alive." Sensei set himself in a stance we had never seen before, one hand behind his back, the other in a 'come here' position.

"Come back with us."

"…"

"…or I drag you back." The man, Gaara, slid one foot in front, and leaned forwards, raising his hands like he was holding a sword. The dust motes in the air seemed to take on a life of their own, forming a halo around his body.

"They're dead. All of them. He killed them, he was merciless, and you want to face him? Are you forgetting? He stole the eyes, and a whole lot more, and he's had time to experiment every way you could imagine, and you think you can still take him on?" Sensei's voice rose to a shout. He exploded forward, faster than we had ever seen a man move, literally a blur.

Gaara simply spun aside, hands still raised like he held a sword, tapping sensei on the back as he rushed past. Sensei rolled with the shove, came up running at the wall, ran up the wall, _across the ceiling_ for a few steps, flipping through the air to come feet first at Gaara, who spun aside again.

We stood in awe; where sensei had landed, the stone floor itself had cracked.

The next few minutes were a blur, sensei displaying speed and agility that we would have not thought possible, Gaara smoothly, almost calmly, stepping and spinning, stepping and spinning, coat billowing, as he moved his hands like he was swinging a sword. Neither could land a blow it seemed.

They jumped apart, Sensei in his stance, glaring, Gaara standing calmly, hands at his side.

Sensei glanced at us. "GET OUT!!!" he roared. We had never seen him so angry before. We hastened to obey.

That was the last we would ever see of either Sensei Lee or the red-haired man.

On the news that night, it was revealed that the dojo had been utterly demolished.

The investigators said it looked like someone had taken a wrecking ball to the room, then proceeded to sandblast the entire thing.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Gaara stood in front of an exhausted Lee, who sat panting on the floor.

"You were holding back."

"Heh. I didn't want to have to undo the gravity seal; I don't have the chakra ability to reactivate it."

"So, will you come with me?"

"Earlier, you said 'us'. I only look weird, I'm not stupid. So, what are you and Naruto really after?"

Gaara snickered. "You think Naruto is in on this?"

"Who else could live this long? Aside from another jinchuuriki, of course."

"Ino. Shikamaru. Some girl named Haku who claims to know Naruto from his first C-rank mission."

Lee's head shot up in shock. "What! How the _hell_ are they still alive?! You and Naruto have immortal demons sealed in you who don't want to die, I have a slow chakra flow so all my functions are slowed, including aging, but how are the others still around?!"

"You left before the final battles; Gai gave you the gravity seal and knocked you out and carried you away ahead of time, so you wouldn't know. Ino was trapped when her body was killed mid-mind transfer, and Shikamaru somehow grabbed her. He handed her off to me, before a chidori hit him. Apparently, he had a fail-safe, and sank into his shadow before he died. Shukaku says he's in stasis. Haku…was frozen. If you want details, ask her yourself."

"And where's Naruto? I assume he's outside the door?"

"He disappeared right after the route. Shukaku says she would know if he died, but we can't find him."

Lee considered that for a moment. Then something occurred to him.

"You sure got a lot more talkative, Gaara. Is life having a 'youthful' effect on your social skills?"

"Took you long enough. Gaara fought you, but it's INO who's been doing the talking, BAKA!!! Do you seriously think this eyebrow-less freak could ever be social? He's asleep right now. My psyche has been in suspended animation for the past five hundred years except when something important comes up, like talking and being social. HE said that he doesn't want TWO insane female voices in his head at the same time driving him mad, but he's already insane so I don't know what difference it would make…shut up, you dumb raccoon, I would go insane if you were in MY head all the time as well…anyways, we need to go wake up my lazy husband and then go find Naruto, and go kick Orochimaru's ass, so COME ON!"

"Oh, and before I wake Gaara up and let him take control again…he wants one of your eyebrows since he's never had any of his own and you seem to have more than enough to share." Lee grinned as Ino snickered. "Don't tell him I told you his deepest darkest desire, alright?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Read, but instead of reviews, I want suggestions.

I got the 'write-it-right-now' bug again. I am perfectly willing to rewrite this chapter.

Gaara is using Aikido. Long life has to have had _some_ influence on his fighting style. Less crushing and more subduing. He didn't use throws or locks because he's here to make a point, not beat the stuffing out of Lee.

Haku is _not_ a boy, I don't care what he/she/it says.

I figured that Shikamaru would have an escape plan of some sort for himself. Gaara already has one crazy female voice in his head, what's one more?

I really don't know how to have Ino talk, so I made her sound like a girls I once heard at the mall who was talking on her cell phone while also talking o her friends at the same time.

I really like the fic 'What Might Be' by Sakiku. READ IT!


End file.
